Archive for October, 2017

VPP Policy Update

Oct. 30th, 2017

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in the spirit of continual improvement, has issued instructions strengthening its Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) with regard to the implementation of company incentive programs. The VPP was established as a way for companies to create a working relationship with OSHA and receive recognition if their safety statistics are lower than the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) averages for their industry. Many companies have created programs that promote increased safety awareness and participation throughout their workforce. The latest memorandum from OSHA acts to clarify the requirements of such programs. Incentive programs are those that reward employees for their honesty and feedback with regard to reporting incidents and providing proactive suggestions toward improving the safety culture around their workplace. These programs support company commitment to employee safety. Incentives usually range from t-shirts to company parties and should not single out or discipline employees that report incidents and injuries. Incentive programs that focus on the number of injuries and reports have now been deemed “disincentives” by OSHA as they tend to celebrate lower injury rates over a period of time or for typically meeting lagging safety goals that have been set. These programs have shown to drive down incident reporting, therefore decrease the number of reports for injuries and near misses due to fear of ruining the chances of a reward for themselves or rest of the group. The VPP has provided new instructions to give applicants and current members proper guidelines for incentive programs. These incentive programs will be evaluated and companies will be given feedback to ensure their program does not discourage reporting. By following the instructions in an acceptable incentive program, employees are given the ability to report incidents truthfully to improve the workplace for all employees. This is another step in promoting safety culture for participants in the VPP and anyone considering adding an incentive program to their organization. If you would like more information regarding the Voluntary Protection Program, please visit their website at https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/index.html.

ISN’s Contractor Management Strategy White Paper Now Available

Oct. 24th, 2017

ISN’s Contractor Management Strategy Survey collected insights from 200+ decision makers at 160+ companies, who manage contractors and subcontractors in ISNetworld. The findings from this survey are designed to provide a contractor management benchmark which helps companies drive continual improvement in their efforts toward a zero-incident workplace. According to the inaugural survey from ISN, the shortage of a skilled and competent workforce was identified as the top challenge by companies in achieving their contractor management objectives in the next 12-18 months. At the same time, 42 percent of the companies surveyed expect their need for outsourcing work to third-party contractors to increase, half of which anticipate double-digit increases. “Internal and external constraints such as competing internal priorities, shortage of qualified workers and an increased reliance on subcontractor relationships continue to put pressure on companies that hire contractors,” said Joseph Eastin, President and Chief Executive Officer of ISN. “It is essential to have a strategic contractor management plan in place that ensures work is being completed in a safe, reliable and sustainable manner.” Improving the safety performance of both employees and contractors was identified as the top priority for driving organization’s contractor management goals. In addition, improving business continuity and operational excellence was also ranked as a key driver for meeting their contactor management objectives. “The survey data confirms what we’ve seen in the industry; leading organizations drive a safety-first culture and maintain a documented strategic plan for their contractor management objectives,” said Dag Yemenu, Senior Vice President of Technical Services at ISN. “By establishing a clear communication strategy, incorporating a risk-ranking process and integrating internal business processes, a sustainable contractor management system is one that enables you to meet your safety and compliance objectives while promoting a culture of transparency, partnership and continuous improvement.” To access the Contractor Management Strategy White Paper and additional ISN Analytics Publications, please visit https://www.isnetworld.com/newsroom/publications.

Contractor Work-Related Fatalities & Injuries by State, 2016 Data

Oct. 23rd, 2017

With over 36,000 contracting companies reporting information to Hiring Clients in the United States, ISN’s Analytics Team was able to conduct a heat map analysis investigating four Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) listed below. KPIs Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) Days Away, Restricted Activity or Job Transfer Incident Rate (DART) Fatality Rate Lost Time Case Rate (LTC) Representing more than 9.6 billion work hours reported by U.S. contractors, the data in this analysis illustrates the location of contractors (main or branch office) and the specific, aggregated KPI by state. Industries with substantial impact on states with the highest rates are noted as well. To view other ISN publications, including white papers and benchmarking reports, visit ISN’s Publications Page.

2018 ISN CONNECT: Registration Now Open

Oct. 19th, 2017

Register now for the 2018 ISN CONNECT Conference taking place at the Omni Dallas Hotel on May 1-2, 2018. This users’ conference brings together over 2,000 industry professionals to share best practices, discuss industry initiatives, network with peers and attend thought-provoking keynote and breakout sessions. ISN CONNECT also offers hands-on labs, demonstration kiosks, networking opportunities and one-on-one appointments to help users with any account-specific questions. There is no cost for ISN Hiring Clients and contractor customers to attend. Visit www.isnconnect.com for updates on the conference agenda and additional speakers as they are announced.

ISN to Sponsor and Exhibit at the 2017 National Association for Environmental Management (NAEM) EHS & Sustainability Management Forum

Oct. 19th, 2017

The 2017 NAEM EHS Forum NAEM’s EHS & Sustainability Management Forum is the largest annual gathering for environment, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability decision-makers. Celebrating its 25th year, NAEM’s annual conference has been the premiere event dedicated to best practice-sharing for those developing and integrating strategic environmental, health and safety programs within companies. This year’s Forum is taking place October 25-27 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Why Attend? The NAEM EHS Forum provides the best opportunity for processional networking, benchmarking and best practice sharing available to EHS and sustainability practitioners today. 650 EHS and sustainability environmental compliance professionals and over 300 companies participated in the 2016 Forum. Join the Conversation ISN is featured as a Green Sponsor at this year’s Forum. Our team will be located booth #212 in the exhibit hall. Visit us to learn more about how ISN helps connect Hiring Clients with safe and sustainable contractors, facilitating partnerships to help ensure compliance with safety and procurement standards. We will be providing live demonstrations of our online contractor management platform, ISNetworld. Copies of our industry-wide benchmarking reports and the white paper, What is Best-in-Class Contractor Management will be available.